Organising Programmes within a Knowledge Ecosystem : A Case Study on Value Creation and Value Capture

Sammanfattning: Addressing issues of high complexity, such as societal or environmental transformations, require collaboration among a multitude of actors. Therefore, inter-organisational collaborations has evolved for approaching such large-scale problems. During the last decade, the orgasational theory of ecosystems has emerged further. Knowledge ecosystems is one evolved area that has limited empirical research. To evaluate how programs can be organised to sustain value to the actors, and provide further empirical research of ecosystems, this thesis explores the value creation and value capture mechanisms of a knowledge ecosystem. The thesis analyses a case study of a neutral collaborative platform, CLOSER, in Sweden. A conceptual framework, based on the open systems perspective, network theory, and the theoretical definition of a knowledge ecosystem, is used to analyse the empirical results. The value creation and value capture mechanisms for knowledge ecosystems in this empirical case study are identified as communication channels, projects and business initiatives. The findings from this study confirm the literature surrounding knowledge ecosystems and their value mechanisms. It is also elaborated that the incentives of individual participants in the ecosystem must be taken into consideration to enhance value creation and value capture, even in knowledge ecosystems. From a system level perspective, there also needs to be proper building mechanisms in place to handle the deliverance of the knowledge outside of the internal network of the ecosystem. This to ensure nothing is lost, or lessened. The notion that business ecosystems grow from knowledge ecosystems is also adressed. However, future research is still needed to provide empirical evidence of the theory.